Dining at Burning Man

Martiansky · Post by **Martiansky** » Wed May 25, 2005 5:25 pm

I had some good tasting MRE's a few years ago. I think you can get a case of 12 for about $40. I might pick up a box just in case.

safetythird · Post by **safetythird** » Wed May 25, 2005 5:57 pm

jbelson wrote: Marinated tri-tip. You can get it cut into strips and it cooks up pretty fast and is super yummy.

Cutting up the tri-tip before cooking? That would get you lynched in my parts.

Now pre-q'd tri-tip cut up and mixed into an omelet the next morning, well, that's another thing altogether.

S3

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Wed May 25, 2005 6:20 pm

Here's how we did it:

We started the group kitchen back in '01, for Opera Diaspora. Those of us interested formed a "get the word out" cabal and seeded posts to the e-mail list for our camp, which numbered about 145. I consider us lucky because there's a high number of foodies in Opera Camp and not a few of them are accomplished chefs in their own right, both pro and amateur.

The response back was phenomenal. Within a day or two we formed our own separate e-mail list for the purpose of coordinating. Several stepped up to the podium and offered to head up the kitchen as their contribution to the camp. We chose one to be Kitchen God who then appointed Chefs for each meal according to expressed interest. Chefs then gathered helpers and cleanup crew for their chosen meal and submitted recipes/ingredients lists which were compiled into a grocery list.

The first year, Kitchen God put a website up with a clickable spreadsheet of what equipment we had and what was needed. Participants in the kitchen would click on what they'd bring with them. As the Playa time approached, Kitchen God collected the money sent in and formed a grocery-shopping detail. We took one large vehicle with all the ice chests down to Reno for the food run at Winco; Kitchen God distributed budgets and grocery lists, the shoppers split up in teams and away we went. In '01 the buy-in also included your water but that got abused so thereafter we only bought water for cooking and cleanup and everyone was on their own for bath and drinking water.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu May 26, 2005 8:05 am

Other people have had bad experiences with communal kitchens and related them on the board. No clean up crew or that sort of thing. So, it's going to depend on multiple factors, but sometimes they work very well.

mojo · Post by **mojo** » Thu May 26, 2005 4:15 pm

I've been able to keep foods frozen solid on the playa for a full 7 days using a separate ice chest with only frozen foods and dry ice in it. I pack it with ziplocs full of home made and pre-frozen spaghetti sauce, chili, enchiladas, and cooked chicken breast pieces (for salads, etc...). I generally feed 20 - 30 people (for me - it's part of the art).
There's nothing better than having fresh whole tri-tip to BBQ on Saturday. I've actually been able to serve filet mignon and garlic stuffed portobellos at the end of the week.

Having ice chest cozies makes a big difference - so does putting your ice chests up off the ground on "feet". (Makes draining easier too.)

Eggs will last all week if you pre-pack them by cracking them into a plastic jug beforehand and keep the jug in the ice chest. No shells or foam cartons to deal with.

Davoid · Post by **Davoid** » Fri May 27, 2005 4:18 am

Surprised no one's gotten into their preferred protein/granola bars here, since those suckers usually make up at least one of my daily meals on the playa. Maybe 'cause ripping one open during the 10 minute handi-wipedown/water refill/costume change tent pitstop doesn't quite qualify as "dining". Well, so what if the last third is scarfed while racing your bike towards the distant screams?

I guess my faves are still Clif and maybe Balance (with extra water to counteract all that denseness), tho I need to update my taste testing for this year.

Other faves?

(btw, chips and salsa! chips and salsa! salty crunchy goodness!)

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Fri May 27, 2005 5:15 am

Let's take a moment to discuss the IMPORTANT stuff.....Best non-melting, playa-friendly TREATS. Tootsie Rolls are hard to melt. Hershey's USED to market a little tropical chocolate bar that I LOVED- It was kinda grainy and cocoa-ey, but you could probably store it on a radiator. Lemon drops are particularly refreshing, but put a dessicant pack or pouch of rice in the container to prevent stickiness. Test ice cream bars for "sticktuitiveness", the degree of tenacity with which the ice cream or frrezie pop clings to its stick. (Ever stepped in one on a hot day?)

More, please.

Post by **AntiM** » Fri May 27, 2005 6:07 am

If anyone finds a good granola or cereal bar without soy in it, please let me know. I may have to resort to making my own.

montana wildhack · Post by **montana wildhack** » Fri May 27, 2005 6:25 am

i have a great, fast recipe if you need one!

Post by **AntiM** » Fri May 27, 2005 6:46 am

Yes please! PM it to me if you would.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri May 27, 2005 8:40 am

You might be able to do a quick bread (banana bread?) with lots of nuts and dried fruit too.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Fri May 27, 2005 8:56 am

theCryptofishist wrote:You might be able to do a quick bread (banana bread?) with lots of nuts and dried fruit too.

~
When the inmates at the state pen are having a bad day. They are given a one room suit and eat some kind of bread/loaf that is a complete meal. History talks about armys marching all day. The Romens had nut, seeds and bread. Other armys also had some kind of bread. Wounder what that stuff was made of?

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Fri May 27, 2005 8:59 am

Aieee! HARDTACK! Like eating drywall.

missmann · Post by **missmann** » Fri May 27, 2005 1:28 pm

well, its not really a granola or cereal bar, but check out LaraBar. Delicious wholefood bars- uncooked, unprocessed, no added sugar, non-GMO, gluten free, dairy free, soy free, vegan and kosher!!, plus they have yummy flavors like chocolate coconut chew (like a macaroon), banana cookie and ginger snap. the ginger snap one i am eating at this very moment contains only dates, almonds, pecans, ginger, cinnamon and cloves... ask at your local healthfod store, or google for the website.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Fri May 27, 2005 2:07 pm

Instead of using it for a door stop. Bring that damn fruit cake your cheap friend sent you for Xmas.

gnostikoi · Post by **gnostikoi** » Sat May 28, 2005 12:30 am

As far as nutritional bars, my vote would have to go to Odwalla bars. I took a case last year and they were great - very dense and filling. They got a little soft and sticky in the heat, but not a big problem. And most of the flavors are pretty good.

Speaking of armies marching, I believe that Aztec soldiers subsisted on this gel-stuff that they made by mixing water and alfalfa seeds. If you do that and wait long enough, it'll turn into sprouts, but halfway through the process you end up with this thick gel that's very nutritious. Each soldier would carry a pouch attached to their belt so that they could dip into a handful while they marched. It's basically what you coat Chia pets with, so I don't know how it would taste...maybe some soul more adventurous than I will try it out. At the very least, it would probably feel good between your toes.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Sat May 28, 2005 8:50 am

Anyone know the boiling point a 4grand (the playa) Last year we broke camp Sun. nite. Mon. morning just a temp camp for breakfast. Had a hard time heating coffee water. The outside temp was chili with a low wind. So I have been messing with an idea. First I found that water heats faster in a boiling pan. The heat is spred out more over the bottom. Then I took some 15 inch vally flashing for a wind sheld, all the way aroud the stove and pan. Hey this works great. The heat stays closer to the pan. So I cut a "pot handle" slot in the middle and used a metal clamp so I can roll it to the size pan I'm useing. The flashing comes in a roll at HD. It will save a bunch of fuel. Also I remeber the winds of 01.

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Sun May 29, 2005 12:37 am

4k altitude shouldn't have that much effect on boiling water. I'd invest in a nice camp stove if you want to be assured of quick heating of water. I have a MSR stove and the thing is furious. I nicknaned in the 'reactor.'

You should get a good idea of what some of the top end stoves are by checking one or more of these sites:

http://www.backcountryoutlet.com/?id=UXfXztbg

http://www.altrec.com/

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Tue May 31, 2005 7:48 am

gnostikoi wrote: Speaking of armies marching, I believe that Aztec soldiers subsisted on this gel-stuff that they made by mixing water and alfalfa seeds. If you do that and wait long enough, it'll turn into sprouts, but halfway through the process you end up with this thick gel that's very nutritious. Each soldier would carry a pouch attached to their belt so that they could dip into a handful while they marched. It's basically what you coat Chia pets with, so I don't know how it would taste...maybe some soul more adventurous than I will try it out. At the very least, it would probably feel good between your toes.

Or shave your head and coat with said mixture, to be grazed on throughout the week!

pollyboots · Post by **pollyboots** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 9:56 am

last year i (pre)made salmon cakes, eggplant with artichokes, tomatoes and roasted bells, chicken cacciatore, rice pilaf with tofu, chili, and stuffed zucchinis.
everything stayed fresh for 10 days.
it was a lot of work, but every time i was hungry and came back to my camp, it was SO worth it!
yum!

hunter S · Post by **hunter S** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 4:32 pm

Pollyboots, Can I eat at your Camp....

...Ummmm!

phil · Post by **phil** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 5:20 pm

My understanding on MREs: 1,300 or so calories each meal, 2,000 mg of sodium each meal, 30% to 40% fat each meal. Yikes!

Heater Meals have 300 to 700 calories per meal. Louise and I bring a bunch for when it's too windy to crank up the camp stove or when we _really_ need a meal in a hurry (hypoglycemia).

http://www.heatermeals.com
http://www.tastybite.com
http://www.hotpackmeals.co.uk
http://www.labriutemeals.com
http://www.myownmeals.com

Don't forget ramen, which takes boiling water -- heater meals and some others listed have their own heaters, but they get the food mildly warm, not hot. Still well worth it in a dust storm or meal emergency event.

Louise and I bring frozen meat, get dry ice in Reno, and then grill the meat when it thaws (baby Weber). We bring enough canned foods for the whole week in case of some catastrophe with our ice chests. Each meal is bagged separately in a supermarket plastic bag, tagged with that the meal is, and with the recipe in the bag with all the necessary stuff -- you can't imagine how much more pleasant it is to browse among labelled bags for a meal rather than rooting through a 120-degree F van looking for different cans of ingredients.

We also buy a big box of individual-sized chips of assorted flavors and a big box of peanut butter and cheese crackers (in bags like the chips), along with canned fruit juices, V-8, and such.

We used to belong to a community kitchen. As others have said, we had a chef who was a skilled community kitchen executive, and volunteers who were reliable (_very_ tough to find on the playa). It disbanded, however, after a few years because of the huge burden on the executive chef. See
http://www.burningman.com/preparation/e ... chens.html
for info on community kitchens. There's a section on the applicability of health regs.

Louise makes jar cakes for deserts. I've forgotten how many, a couple of dozen. Use canning jars and lids, and bake the cake in the jar. They last as long as needed. Google "jar cakes" for recipes, and try some out before you go.

For fresh bread, try bannock -- a type of bread cooked on a griddle sort of like a pancake, but bread instead. Google bannock bread to weed out people named Bannock.

Post by **AntiM** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 6:08 am

Our local surplus store had MRE components available individually. Cheap, no fuss, and you didn't have all the extraneous crap like salt packets and peanutglue. The choices were items such as veggies in pasta, chicken tetrazinni, black bean burritos, tasty and yes, high in sodium. I don't like most electrolyte drinks, I figued I could eat my sodium in my meals. I could be quite wrong.

Small boxed juices, especially OJ, nice to grab and go early in the morning. Just have to watch the silly little straw wrappers so they don't wander off and become MOOP.

Last Real Burner · Post by **Last Real Burner** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 9:41 am

wow....

You guys have time to eat? there's just to much to see to much to do...

I'm late, I'm late, I'm late....

phil · Post by **phil** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 11:05 am

http://store.botachtactical.com/orflflpr.html

sells collapsible bowls, cups, and plates that fold flat so you'll always have something on hand if a generous burner (and aren't we all) offers a drink or snack. They also sell MREs and such.

Iago · Post by **Iago** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 8:58 pm

I only got one word "B A C O N"

BACON for Breakfast,

BACON for Lunch,

BACON for Dinner,

And midnight Munch!........

phil · Post by **phil** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 9:50 pm

You guys have time to eat?

Hypoglycemia.

I only got one word "B A C O N"

One of our friends fries bacon, then dips each strip in melted chocolate. Let cool, then munch.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 9:08 am

So now you're showing off that you know Homer Simpson?

MrMullen · Post by **MrMullen** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 10:29 am

phil wrote:My understanding on MREs: 1,300 or so calories each meal, 2,000 mg of sodium each meal, 30% to 40% fat each meal. Yikes!

This is acutally not bad for Playa conditions.

You should be eatting meals with about 30% to 40% fat with good amount of salt on the Playa since you really need the long term energy and some way to retain water.

The Playa is tough, and it's tougher while running around all day and drinking. I would not worry about eatting too much on the Playa.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 2:55 pm

Some people find that they eat less on playa as they don't need to burn calories to keep warm in the heat.

Dining at Burning Man

gran-ole'

foodiiiiiiiie!

MREs, Heater Meals, and stuff

for al fresco diners -- fold flat dinnerware

Re: MREs, Heater Meals, and stuff